By Full Moon's Light
by dragontamer ri-chan
Summary: Three lonely people. Two warring countries. One transforming unicorn. The secrets that they contain can only be revealed by full moon's light. KimiSaku ItaSaku
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Dare I make another story? Yes! I know many people are waiting for updates for my other stories. I have not stopped working on them and so I ask for your continued patience with me. Review if you want me to continue this story.

Disclaimer: The series Naruto and its characters do not and never will belong to me. I'm just borrowing them.

By Full Moon's Light

First Full Moon

Sakura was exhausted. As an 18 year old noblewoman of Konoha certain things were expected of her. One of those things was to take a husband. She had always expected an arranged marriage but she had never dreamed it would be to the prince of Konoha! She wouldn't lie to herself; he was a very attractive man.

That did not mean she loved him. The prince, Itachi, had assured her that she would grow to love him, and she could believe that if it were anyone else. How could she love someone she couldn't be honest with? The fact of the matter was that Sakura had an ability that no one knew about and no one ever would. She could touch the minds of others with her own. If Itachi ever knew about it he would call her a freak or worse a witch and have her executed.

She couldn't risk it. That's why she only touched the minds of animals. She preferred horses over any other animal because they truly seemed to understand and accept her ability.

She knew that, right now, there was only one way to revive herself. She needed to go for a ride. Sakura was already beginning to get excited as she approached the royal stables where her horse was tied. Her gentle steed, Shadow, could always renew her spirits.

She slipped her mind into his to let him know she was on her way. When she entered the stables he whinnied a welcome already prepared for a gallop. She untied him and the moment they were out of the stables they were off.

Shadow had been at full gallop for some time before Sakura noticed that they had gone quite a ways into the woods behind Castle Konoha. She decided it would be best for them both if they rested a while. She took off Shadow's saddle and touched his mind, showing him an image of him resting. He nuzzled her to show her he liked that idea and began to graze. Sakura chose to rest beneath a large tree perched on the edge of a riverbank. Before long, sleep had enveloped her.

When Sakura awoke night had fallen but she was too stunned to notice that with the beautiful animal in front of her. There was a magnificent horse in front of her with his head bowed. That wasn't what was so shocking. There was the feeling of something pleasantly cool on her cheek, stroking downward along with the movement of the horse's head. She shifted her eyes to see what it was and was completely astonished to find a magnificent, _glowing_, pure white horn. This was no horse. She was resting in front of a unicorn.

There were no words to describe how beautiful this creature was. The gorgeous stallion was as pure white as his horn except for the red markings on his face. There were two red dots on his brow and along with two dashes of red beneath his unusual green eyes that held flecks of silver.

To put it mildly the unicorn was euphoric to find her awake. He made these small chirping like noises that sounded like pure joy. He nuzzled her, nearly knocking her over in his enthusiasm. She laughed and stroked his muzzle to express her own delight, but she soon had to push him away or be knocked over by his insistent cuddling.

As the unicorn left her personal space she felt slightly bereft yet at the same time she was calm and at peace. She felt so warm but at the same time it was like something was missing. She nearly fell right back asleep before an idea occurred to her. She couldn't pass up the chance to touch the mind of a legendary-thought-to-be-extinct creature.

The fact the unicorn seemed so enamored with her would help. If she had tried to touch the mind of a creature that didn't like her it would often cause an awful mental backlash that would create terrible headaches. For safety's sake she reached out to stroke him a bit more.

However, to her great surprise, the moment she touched the unicorn's long face her mind just seemed to slip into his effortlessly. It was as if _his_ mind had been reaching for hers. This was different from her usual mind touches. Instead of receiving just images from the animal she received mostly emotions with a few images and even some words thrown in.

The dominant feeling was blissful adoration for her. It amazed her that in this animal's eyes she could do no wrong. Next there was an image of her riding him accompanied by waves of ecstasy and love. Soon there were words mixed in. The unicorn sent her an image of herself and sent her the first word she ever exchanged with an animal. That word was _beautiful._ She started to respond by sending him images of himself and sent him the same word.

He raised his head and whinnied in pure joy, but then their link was broken. Someone was calling for Sakura. As the voice drew nearer the unicorn became more agitated and surprisingly angry. When Sakura was about to approach the voice she recognized as Itachi's he tried to stop her.

This time she felt it. She felt the unicorn reach for her mind. She allowed him in and was sent an image of her riding on him as he took her away from here. He sent that image again and again. It was clear he wanted her away from her fiancé.

She sent back an image of him galloping off alone and staying hidden. In an effort to make him understand she also sent words and feelings just as he had done before. _If we stay together they will find you. They will try to tame you and use you as a horse. Is that what you want?_ She sent him images of being tied up and being ridden by someone who would buy him. She sent feelings of regret and sadness at being separated. The last image she showed him was them meeting up again.

Hope flared in his heartbroken eyes. He bowed his head in compliance and galloped away as Itachi called for her again. As soon as her unicorn was gone she called back.

"I'm over here Prince."

"Honestly Sakura, don't worry me like that." Itachi scolded keeping his voice soft but fierce. "Anything can happen to you in those woods and no one would know about it for days. It is not a place for anyone to go into, let alone a noblewoman. Why would you go in there in the first place?" He asked with agitation pouring off of him. Sakura knew there was something he wasn't telling her, but she let it go in favor of comforting him.

"Highness please calm down." She started while reaching out to his touch his shoulder. "Nothing bad happened. I took a nap and that's it. It was such a beautiful day I couldn't help myself." Itachi spun around and immediately enveloped her in a gentle hug. Sakura could faintly feel his hands tremble and it shocked her.

It was well known that the man who currently embraced her could crush bones like twigs. Konoha was a country of strength and health yet there was no one stronger than Itachi. Still he trembled as he held her. Still he was cherishing her when countless other women threw themselves at him. She couldn't figure it out. What was so special about her?

"Your Highness, why do you care about me so much? You are the strongest man in Konoha, you could have any woman you wanted, and you're the prince! Why would you choose me and treat me with such affection? We barely know each other." Sakura mumbled into the muscles of his chest. If she doubted it before there was no denying it now. He had muscles on his muscles.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember Sakura, but unfortunately for you I don't care if you do or not. You are the only girl who believed in me when I had nothing, when I was nothing. I am who I am today because of you. Without you the money, power, and title mean nothing. I know I'm forcing this marriage on you, but you can't even begin to grasp how much I need you. Even if you hate me I can't let you go. I'm so sorry Sakura." Itachi whispered the last part as if his heart was breaking.

"I have a couple requests." Sakura stated causing Itachi to look her in the eye, hope starting to replace the despair that was there only moments before. It tore at her heart to see that fear and indescribable desolation eating him alive.

"Ask anything and to the best of my abilities it shall be done." Itachi answered without hesitation.

"Can you prepare a room for me? It's late and I find myself exhausted. My second request is that in the morning please tell me more about the forest." Sakura asked with a tired smile. Itachi wasted no time in getting a room prepared for her. They waited silently until Itachi gave into his need to hear her voice.

"Sakura I have a request of my own." He began hesitantly.

"What is it?" She inquired in a tired and entirely too unintentionally seductive voice.

"Would you call me by my name? I don't want to hear another title come out of your mouth when you are addressing me. Even if it's only when we are alone I strongly desire to hear what my name sounds like on your lips." Itachi had to look away to hide the faint blush on his face. Thankfully Sakura didn't seem to notice.

She giggled a bit before replying. "That's fine Itachi." If possible Itachi fell even more in love with his bride to be and renewed his vow to obtain her love.

Somewhere deep in the forest a young man with white hair, green eyes, and red markings on his face awakened to find he barely even knew who he was, let alone _where_ he was. All he could remember was the faint smell of flowers, silken pink locks, and stunning emerald eyes. Though the memory of those could keep him warm on the coldest of nights, they unfortunately did not help him.

He had no idea why his mind retained those images until suddenly a memory as vivid as the full moon against the night sky collided with his disoriented mind. A beautiful woman close to his age gently stroked his face, her touch tender. Their minds and even their hearts had become one the moment her thoughts and feelings collided with his. She was so innocent and sincere it had melted his heart when no one had even come close to getting past the walls around him.

The sound of her voice rang not in his ears but in his mind. When a threat had approached she had seen to him first. He didn't know if he had ever met a woman like her, but it didn't matter because even if he met someone similar, his heart would accept no one other than her. He felt it. She was different from all others around her. His mind yearned for hers and his heart ached for her affections. There was no room for doubt. He needed her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter is kind of… all over the place. Despite that I really hope you like it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The series Naruto and its characters do not and never will belong to me. I'm just borrowing them.

Chapter 2

Dreams, Visions, and Everything in Between

The young white haired man had remembered his name to be Kimimaro. It appeared that the longer he was in his human form the more he remembered. He had recalled quite a bit, such as being the prince of Oto, and that he had been terminally ill. He remembered his father and the last thing said man told him before he transformed.

_-Flashback-_

_Kimimaro woke up to the sounds of the machines keeping him alive, just as he always did nowadays. What he hadn't been expecting was seeing his father, Orochimaru, inject something into his arm. He decided to voice his curiosity._

"_Father, what are you doing?" Kimimaro asked with a hoarse voice. A sudden coughing fit wracked his body and sent pain shooting through his torso. He didn't have much longer. He used the mental abilities given to his people instead._

Leave me be Father. I doubt even you could save me now._ Kimimaro sent the message. Orochimaru smirked. His son was in for a shock if that is what he believed. He watched as the as concoction slipped into Kimimaro's body. He smirked again._

"_Son, within the next hour or so, you'll experience some of the strangest things that will ever happen in your life time. When you return you will be healthy and strong just as you were always supposed to be. You will have both a superior mind and body. I look forward to the next time I see you. By the way I stashed some clothes for you in the forest on the border of Oto and Konoha." The king of Oto explained despite Kimimaro's clearly baffled face._

Has Father lost his mind?_ Kimimaro wondered._ _An hour later he was galloping out of Oto castle and into the woods that bordered Oto, the land of knowledge and Konoha, the land of strength. He had been transformed into a unicorn._

Just as his father had said Kimimaro was the healthiest he'd ever been. His muscles had returned and they were stronger than he'd thought they could be. He looked like he came from Konoha and he felt like he could even take the prince of strength in a fight. It was a good thing too, because he would need to infiltrate the country in order to see the mysterious beauty that had haunted him in both forms. He knew she was in Konoha because he'd noticed crossing the border on his way back home.

He yearned for her. For the first time his mind, heart, and body were completely unified in this one desire. He didn't care that she came from an enemy nation. She would be his, but for now he had some planning to do.

-At castle Konoha-

After a quiet breakfast in the room set aside for her, Sakura was silently making her way to the library. She was to meet Itachi there, and once he arrived they would discuss the forest behind the castle. Sakura continued to ponder on the woods when her thoughts turned to Itachi's unexplained infatuation. She gave a frustrated sigh. He spoke as if they had known each other forever, yet she had racked her brain the night before and had not found a single trace of Itachi in her memories.

Frustration then turned to anger at her inability to remember. Sakura tried to calm herself. She hated getting angry because it always gave her headaches. Though something always happened to either distract or appease her altogether the headaches seemed to get worse each time. This one was especially painful. Sakura felt shame well up within her as the pain freed tears from her eyes and allowed them to roll down her face.

As the headache turned painful enough to tear at the edges of her sanity a sudden stream of images flashed in front of her eyes. Sakura would have thought it was her life except none of the images could have anything to do with reality. There were things like bonfires with inhuman creatures leaping from the tops of the ten foot flames to land gracefully on their feet and look right into her eyes with bright orange ones that matched the very fire they flew out of. Some of the images were more pleasant (though they still made no sense) such as the stars moving to form animalistic shapes and running across the sky or a school of fish swimming through a meadow.

The images finally ended when someone traced a circle over her forehead followed by a strange star with about seven or perhaps eight points. It was rather hard to tell with the pain still hovering over her mind. The images had stopped as soon as the person traced the first point of the star, and when he removed his finger from her forehead completely, the pain was gone. Sakura gazed at the bizarre looking man with metal running through his face and dark rings circling his irises for three seconds before he waved his hand over her face and she lost consciousness.

XXX

"_Itachi, you told me she had power, but you never said she had such a ridiculous amount. She needs to be trained or worse than that surge of magic that put half your staff in a temporary vegetative state will happen." An angry voice whispered with subtle urgency._

"_You will not take her from me." The voice of Konoha's prince replied steady and resolute._

"_I need you to understand Itachi! You are influenced by her magic! You just told me, yourself, that she cured a terminal illness festering inside of you and made you strong again in a single month after years of suffering! That isn't possible for any normal human no matter where in the world they come from. I understand that-"_

"_You don't _understand_ anything! It isn't just that she cured me or even that she gave me everything I thought I needed. She gave me a fraction of _her own_ strength without anything in exchange. I was never even able to thank her! Magic or no magic if I don't use that strength to protect her I couldn't live with myself, Pein!"_

"_If it's true she gave you her strength then it is all the more reason for her to be trained in the art of magic before she expends what strength she has left to use even stronger magic and dies! Is that what you want?" They were yelling now._

"_Get out!" Itachi roared like an enraged tiger. There was the sound of wood splintering just before a door slammed shut._

XXX

Sakura was dreaming or hallucinating. Considering that she'd already gone through what she assumed were several dreams, she was starting wonder just how long she'd been asleep. She had no idea what it was she saw on the way to the library but she knew it wasn't a dream. She wasn't that creative. The thing with Itachi arguing could easily be a dream. She'd pictured him as a dormant volcano, only blowing his top after years of suppressed anger boiling under the surface. The only thing that bothered her was that there wasn't a single image in that dream, just voices.

_Maybe I've finally lost it._ Sakura pondered to herself before mentally moving on to her next "dream." He seemed to be a human version of her unicorn, not because his hair was the same color as his coat or his eyes that were the exact same hue as his but because the expression sent the same message._ I love you. Don't leave me._ Still the look the man gave her was different at the same time. The unicorn had looked at her in an almost worshipful way while the look the human gave her was much more suggestive. What stayed the same was the intense adoration the human and animal shared.

The dream that followed was of a boy she met long ago. He was sick which, in konoha was considered an ill omen or, in the more extreme cases a curse. He'd been beaten and was so painfully skinny his ribs showed through his clothing. He was the first human who allowed her into his mind. She saw what he had gone through in his mind and it drove her to give him shelter. He would ask her to stay with him and talk to him like he was normal person every day. Every night her eyes would hunt for the first star of the evening to wish upon. After nearly a month of wishing, the boy disappeared on the night of the full moon. She had never seen him again after that. He hadn't left her with any form of goodbye; he simply vanished as if he'd never been there.

Suppressing the pain in her heart at the dream just as she had the memories once before, she moved on to her current nightmare. She saw herself or rather her body chasing the unicorn she had met in the woods with an evil expression on her face. Meanwhile a sea of soldiers surrounded them parting only for the unicorn while she dodged blow after blow still attempting to pursue the frenzied creature. Out of nowhere an arrow pierced him and standing over the fallen beast was none other than Itachi. He offered her a single bloodied hand and then… her eyes shot open as liquid was forced down her throat.

Before her eyes Itachi leaned over her, cradling her face as if she were as precious as the crown jewels while being as fragile as glass, and gently opening her mouth with his so that she would drink more. Before parting an unfamiliar sensation softly swiped at her lips. She couldn't pull back any more as she lay flat on a couch, so instead she made a move that seemed logical but she would later find out was actually quite stupid. She used her tongue to try and push whatever was rasping over her mouth away. The she realized something. With Itachi's mouth cover hers there was only one thing that could be reaching past his lips to caress her own. She comprehended this far too late however as Itachi's eyes shot open to gaze into her own at the first (and only) experimental poke of her tongue that had placed it in the foreign territory of his mouth. Her fiancé froze. She couldn't even feel him breathe.

That was when she made her next mistake. She tried to bring her appendage back and in doing so inadvertently set him off. His teeth gently captured her tongue before it could get even halfway out of his mouth, holding it captive in his mouth while his arms caged her body and pulled her as close as she could possibly get. His tongue receded from her lips to lightly flick and slide against her own. Itachi was in ecstasy but kept his eyes open to watch her every reaction. However when she couldn't hold back a moan and the sound echoed all the way to his bones he could no longer care about what he would or would not see. All he could do was drown in the feelings she effortlessly brought forth.

He broke away with both of them needing air. At the sight of her though he nearly went right back and breathing be damned, but oxygen returned his sanity slowly but surely. As he desperately tried to reign himself under control he buried his face in her neck so he wouldn't be able to see anything that might send him spiraling out of control yet again. His lust slowly gave way to shame. Forcing himself on her had not been his intention in the slightest. She wasn't swallowing water on her own and her lips looked so dry and chapped that there was little doubt of her dehydration. He wouldn't deny taking great pleasure in… providing her with water. He loved her and despite what people may think he was no cold fish. Despite that he'd had no intention of taking advantage of her. When she accidently kissed him he'd waged war with himself to pull away. When she tried to pull away he lost that war and learned the meaning of sweet surrender.

"If I wasn't struggling to breathe I'd smack you into next week." Sakura gasped.

"I would thank you for putting me that much closer to our wedding day." He teased.

Sakura huffed. "Fine, I'll just bite you instead."

He looked stunned before laughing. "Don't start talking dirty now Sakura. I'll never be able to wait till our wedding day."

XXX

"My lord prince I have the report." Kabuto, the captain of Oto spies stated smugly.

Kimimaro looked up from his book on courtship. Kabuto's sneer angered him but all he could think about at the moment was finding out who his mystery woman was. He nodded for the spy to continue.

"Unfortunately my lord there was only one girl who matched your description but even if it is indeed her, I'm afraid you've no choice but to give up on her." Kabuto waved the file around with faux sympathy in his voice. Having no time for the man's silly games Kimimaro merely snatched the file and read it rolling his eyes at Kabuto's disapproving scowl.

The eyes of the head spy widened when Kimimaro chuckled in true amusement. "That figures but if this is what you meant by me having to give up, I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken. My desire is not so shallow. Even if she's engaged to the prince of Konoha I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt she will choose me."

Kabuto sneered. "What has you so confident?"

"It's simply a matter of brain over brawn. You'll see."


End file.
